ADVERTISEMENT

...2002, an unemployed construction worker who stole 124 wedding rings in order to propose to Claudia Schiffer was sent to a psychiatric clinic by a Berlin court. The 32-year-old Mozambican man, who used a toy pistol and wore a Hallowe'en mask to hold up the jewellery shop on September 27 the previous year, was found not guilty of robbery due to mental illness by the state court. He was, however, deemed a danger to society and ordered to undergo treatment. "The man has lived for years with the obsession of meeting Claudia Schiffer and wanting to marry her," the judge said in her verdict. The man, identified only as Julio S, admitted that he had originally wanted to steal three or four wedding dresses for the German supermodel to choose from. Since the bridal shop he chose was too full, however, he went to a nearby jewellers and stole the rings, as well as a watch worth $36,000. "I was only thinking about Claudia Schiffer," he said. "I needed so many rings so that she could pick one out. Besides, I wasn't sure about her ring size."

...2008, acerbic fashion commentator Mr Blackwell awarded Victoria Beckham the number one spot on his Worst Dressed of 2007 list. "In one skinny-mini monstrosity after another, pouty 'Posh' can really wreck-em," Blackwell noted in his 48th annual rundown of the year's fashion losers. In second place, Karl Lagerfeld's then-muse Amy Winehouse got a dressing down for her "exploding beehives above, tacky polka-dots below," and was described as "tattered toothpick trapped in a hurricane". Mary-Kate Olsen came a close third, followed by Black Eyed Pea singer Fergie.